


Like Something from a Dream

by PerrythePlatypusGirl



Series: Sheith Anthology [8]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bi Shiro, Cinderella AU, Crossdressing, Happy Ending, M/M, Slightest bit of homophobia, diguises, for the premise's sake mostly, in that Shiro can’t marry a guy because he’s a prince and he’s needs heirs etc, the bom has weird methods sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-10 12:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17425526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerrythePlatypusGirl/pseuds/PerrythePlatypusGirl
Summary: Prince Takashi Shirogane's parents organize a ball in order to help him find a wife. What Shiro finds instead is a lot more than he bargained for.





	1. Chapter 1

There were things that Shiro liked about being the Prince of a powerful, influential nation. Like being able to influence, and eventually make, the laws that would affect and hopefully help the people, as well as being pampered and having about a thousand bodyguards. But there were also things he didn't like about it. Like being pressured to marry a woman as soon as possible--and if he couldn't find one on his own, he'd have to attend a ball where every single woman from in and around kingdom was artificially put in one place and fighting for his attention.

Yep. Being the crown Prince sure was swell.

Shiro tried to remain optimistic. Surely there was at least _one_ single woman in the kingdom who could catch his eye. The ballroom was crawling with them, and he'd danced with at least twenty so far.

There were definitely some ladies who seemed nice, and would probably make good queens. Allura of Altea was a born diplomat--charming, beautiful, and assertive. Katie Holt from Olkarion was a little awkward, but incredibly intelligent and witty, and could probably get what she wanted anytime. Romelle of Pollux was a little too talkative for his taste, but she was also a sweetheart, and he couldn't bring himself to be annoyed with her. And there was also Acxa, from a place Shiro couldn't remember the name of. She was quiet, but not shy, and seemed to understand exactly what you were thinking merely from studying your face.

All of them were great women who Shiro respected...but none that would make his heart _flutter_ the way his parents seemed to desire for him.

That is, until _she_ appeared.

She was announced as Lady Katherine of Marmora, and as soon as she entered, it was obvious there was something different about her.

The first thing that caught Shiro's attention was her behavior. While most of the ladies were weaving politely through the crowd and making conversation, Katherine was almost barreling through. Her long black hair trailed behind her. One hand was holding up her red skirt slightly so she could move, while the other held a fan that covered half her face. Wherever she was going, she had all her attention focused on her destination, and that kind of laser-sharp focus was...something Shiro found oddly intriguing. He had to get a dance with her.

Katherine seemed to pause momentarily, as if she'd lost sight of where she was headed. She frowned, staring straight ahead to contemplate her next move. This was his chance. Shiro excused himself from the group who was surrounding him, and quickly made his way over to the lovely raven-haired newcomer.

"Lady Katherine?"

Katherine whirled around at the sound of her name, almost stumbling in her heels. Her eyes widened when she saw Shiro, and for some reason, he couldn't tell if they were blue, purple, or gray.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Shiro continued, smiling in a way he hoped was charming.

"Oh," Katherine replied from behind her fan. She coughed and flushed in embarrassment. "I-it's okay."

Her voice was rather deep, soft in a way that made her even more alluring, and Shiro couldn't help but smile more. Wow. One look and he was already smitten.

"You seem to be a little bit frazzled," said Shiro. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," she replied quickly. "I'm just--wondering where the refreshments are."

Shiro chuckled. "Those don't come out for at least another hour. They want us to dance ourselves to exhaustion first so we can devour all the food when it comes out."

Katherine just blinked. "Oh."

Finally, Shiro held out his hand. "This is a party, you know--it's okay to relax and have some fun. Dance with me?"

Katherine froze, looking almost shocked. The fan was still in front of her face, and it sounded like she was whispering to herself. She didn't reply for a little while, and Shiro's heart skipped a beat. Of course she wouldn't refuse a dance, it was why she was here, after all. But Shiro couldn't help the nervousness that knotted itself in his stomach when she hesitated. Plenty of women for him to choose from, and yet he feared rejection from this one in particular.

Finally, Katherine put her fan down on a table and took his hand. "Ah--yes. I'd love to dance with you, Your Highness."

Shiro wanted to sigh with relief, but instead his breath caught in his throat. He could see her whole face now. She was stunning.

Shiro led her to the dance floor and they took their positions. He placed a hand on her waist and tried to pull her closer, but she adjusted so that there was an inch between them. He didn't push it, instead trying to decipher what she might be thinking with her pretty eyes darting all over the place and the way she was biting her lip.

"So," he began. "I take it this is your first time at a royal ball?"

Katherine looked up at him. "What...makes you say that?"

"You know, just barging right through without greeting anyone, and generally looking like you're trying to escape."

Her eyes widened again and she looked away in shame. "Uh...you're right, I'm not completely sure how to act in this sort of situation. I'm sorry, I hope I didn't offend you."

"No," Shiro replied, twirling her around to the music. Her arms and torso seemed surprisingly muscular. She must be athletic. "Confused me a little, maybe. But I don't think I could be offended by someone as lovely as you."

She turned red and tried to hide her face behind her hair. "U-um...thank you, that's...nice of you to say."

Shiro grinned and waited for her to look back up at him before continuing. "So, Katherine...I don't think I've heard the name before. Tell me about yourself."

"Oh, I'm...the daughter of the Duke Kolivan of Marmora. I'm a born strategist, I know multiple languages, and I enjoy horseback riding and painting by the river."

Shiro cocked his head as she finished her speech. "Wow. Did you rehearse that?"

Her jaw dropped. "N-no! Of course not."

"I'm just teasing you. That's all great. I'm curious, though, do you practice swordfighting?"

She paused for a moment. "What...makes you say that?"

"You just seem like an athletic type. Do you use any other weapons? Axes? Maces? I'm just saying--you don't get muscles like that from painting. I've tried."

She finally smiled, and oh. Shiro thought he would burst with how his heart was pounding. There's no way a woman this beautiful could be real. He must be dreaming.

"No, just...just swords," she replied bashfully. "You caught me."

Shiro smiled and leaned closer. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm not the traditional type. I think women with swords are badass."

She gasped, but it became a laugh. "Are princes allowed to use that kind of language?"

"Are you going to report me to my parents?"

She laughed again. "No."

She seemed more relaxed now, enough to let Shiro pull her a little closer and look into her eyes. He felt like he was going to melt under that gaze, but he kept it together.

"Katherine," he said again, voice low. "Do you want to...sneak out of here?"

She looked surprised. "What?"

"It's stuffy in here. There's too many people. We can go for a walk in the garden. Just the two of us."

"I--we just met."

"I know." He blushed, loosening his grip on her a little. "I know, and I hope this isn't too forward, but--I feel like there's...a connection, of some sort." He cleared his throat. "Uh, I mean. I would like to get a moment alone with you. Nothing untoward, just...a walk. If that's okay."

Katherine's eyes darted between his face and the others around them as she considered his offer. "Well...okay. Let's do it."

Shiro beamed, and led her to the edge of the dance floor before taking her hand and sneaking out as quickly as he could.

For about an hour, they wandered through the palace gardens, talking about whatever was on their minds and laughing. The more time he spent with her, the harder he fell. Katherine was so... _easy_ to talk to, despite her standoffish attitude from earlier. It felt like he'd known her forever.

Finally, they found themselves back at a balcony near the ballroom. Katherine leaned over the edge, peering at something down below, while Shiro watched her bemusedly.

She stood back up. "You can see _everything_ from up here," she said.

"I guess it's a nice view," Shiro replied. "Though I bet it's even better in Marmora, with all those rivers you told me about. And the wild untouched nature. I wish I could go see it."

Katherine smiled. "It is pretty nice there. Not much bustle, unlike here." She looked up st the sky and leaned in the railing. "You can see the stars better, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's always a better view when you're in a place humans haven't built on. Less light pollution. You can see all kinds of galaxies." Her voice became almost wistful when she spoke, staring up at the stars reverently.

Shiro looked up too for a moment, but found his eyes drawn to her instead. "Did you stargaze a lot when you were younger?"

"All the time. My dad would take me out whenever he could and we'd name all the constellations."

"I used to come out here as a kid and make wishes," Shiro commented. "Seeing a shooting star would be the greatest thing in the world for me. I was more excited than I was getting birthday presents."

"Oh, you haven't seen anything. I should show you a proper meteor shower sometime. It's breathtaking."

Shiro smiled at her, taking in her starlight-bathed form. "I think the view here is breathtaking too."

She turned to him, face reddening again as she realized what he meant. "Yeah," she whispered. "I guess...it's nice."

Their faces were inches apart. Shiro didn't remember leaning in, but he could feel her breath on his face and couldn't see anything but her eyes. It was like he was drowning. It was perfect. "It's beautiful," he murmured quietly. Then, before he could chicken out, he closed the gap between them.

Katherine made a noise that was both surprised and pleased, and she leaned into the kiss. Her lips tasted like strawberries. Shiro knew he should pull away, but she was intoxicating.

Katherine pulled back first, gasping for air...and then the clock struck midnight.

Her face went pale. "Oh _no,"_ she whispered. Before Shiro could ask what was bothering her, she turned away and started running off the balcony.

"Katherine!" Shiro called out, catching her arm. "Wait, where are you going? What's wrong?"

"I-I'm sorry, Your Highness," she stammered, pulling out of his grip and looking away frantically. "I have to go. _Right now."_

"But why?" Shiro asked. "What happened? I thought--"

"I'm sorry!" She cried again. "I-I-I have to leave! I can't stay with you! Goodbye!"

"Katherine, _wait!"_

He followed her as she frantically ran back into the ballroom, almost knocking some guests over in the process. Katherine weaved her way through the crowd, leaving Shiro frantic as he quickly lost sight of her. "Katherine!"

"Prince Shiro!" Someone called out. People started to surround him, and he was forced to stop. "Where have you been? Why are you running? Is something wrong?"

Shiro grit his teeth and searched the crowd again, but it was no use. He hung his head in disappointment. "It's...it's nothing. Go back to the party, everyone. Sorry for the alarm."

Shiro kept a straight face for a the rest of the night, just like he had before she'd arrived. But it felt so empty now. Several times during the ball, Shiro would search the crowd again, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, but to no avail. Katherine didn't appear again.


	2. Chapter 2

_"You got distracted."_

_"What? I caught the guy, didn't I? I stopped him from attacking the palace. What more do you want?"_

_"You didn't stick to the plan! You were supposed to find him before midnight. You got lucky that the attack was delayed. One second later and there would have been a catastrophe!"_

_"Would've, could've. It didn't happen. I accomplished the mission. Can we please stop talking about it now?"_

_"We need to make sure this type of distraction doesn't happen again."_

_"It won't. It's not like I'll ever see the prince again anyway."_

\---

After the ball, Shiro only had one person on his mind: Katherine. He couldn't stop thinking about her, about how she'd suddenly appeared to steal his heart before disappearing into the night.

There was just one problem: he couldn't find her anymore.

"Are you sure there's isn't some...mistake?" Shiro asked the servant who had been tasked to track her down. "Maybe the Duke just isn't the type to talk about his family. This was her first time attending a royal ball."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I went and checked for myself, and I know for sure," the servant answered. "Duke Kolivan has no children. And there was no woman anywhere in his estate who matched your description. _Katherine_ doesn't exist."

Shiro's heart sank. "Oh," he said simply, staring at the ground. "I see. Well, thank you. You're dismissed."

Shiro paced down the halls once he was alone, trying to figure out what was going on. "Was it just a dream, then?" He said to himself.

Just as he turned a corner, he spotted his younger brother Ryou stuffing food into his mouth that he probably stole from the kitchen. Ryou sat up when he saw him, grinning widely.

"Hey!" he called, jogging up to join him. "Still being mopey? You haven't been able to find your princess yet?"

Shiro groaned. "No. I had someone to down to Marmora to check, but there was no sign of her, or of the Duke having any daughters in the first place."

Ryou raised an eyebrow. "Oh. So, she was a liar, then?"

Shiro winced. "I...hate to think that. I don't want that to be true."

Ryou patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Hey, I'm sorry about that, Takashi. But hey, at least you only knew her for a couple of hours. And I haven't heard of any major catastrophes happening in the palace because of her, so I'd say you got away scot-free." He slapped him on the back. "Cheer up, there's plenty of fish in the sea. You've got an entire line of ladies just waiting to be your bride."

"You don't get it, Ryou," Shiro lamented. "Katherine was... _different._ She actually made me _feel_ something. I--I can't believe she'd lie to me. I don't understand."

Ryou paused, watching him for a second. "...It's weird to see you so smitten."

"It feels weird," Shiro admitted.

"Hey, you know what we could do?" Ryou piped up. "We could go cause some trouble, like we used to. It'll get your mind off it! How about we go mess up some of the bush sculptures?"

Shiro groaned. "No, come on, we're too old for that stuff. I'm the crown Prince, I can't go around playing pranks on the staff."

"Suit yourself, mister Stuffy-Pants. I'm gonna go have fun. Try not to work yourself into a depression over this girl, okay?"

"I'll try. Thanks anyway, Ryou."

Ryou waved goodbye as he ran off to cause trouble, and Shiro sighed as he kept walking.

Shiro eventually found himself in his own bedroom, which wasn't a problem. He could use a nap after all this emotional labor he'd been doing. Shiro took off his outer cloak and flopped down on the bed, groaning into a pillow.

He might have dozed off for a little while, he wasn't sure. But he was startled out of his resting state by a noise nearby, and the feeling that someone was standing behind him.

Shiro turned, and sure enough, a man in black was standing over him, sinister eyes staring down through a mask.

Before Shiro could scream, the intruder sprayed something in his face, and he was out like a light.

\---

Shiro awoke in a dark, dirty room with his hands tied behind his back, and a group of scary-looking thugs in Black armor glowering down at him.

"Oh look, he's awake," sneered their leader, a big guy with a creepy smile. "Rise and shine, Prince Charming. Welcome to our humble abode."

Shiro's heart lept into his throat. "Who are you?!" He demanded. "Where am I?"

"We are the Fire of Purification," the leader answered. "And you're in our base."

Shiro struggler against the restraints, but they didn't budge. "What do you want?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned with, Your Highness. You're just a pawn in a bigger plan." He chuckled as he started to turn away. "Try not to scream to loudly, will you? The guards get annoyed pretty easily." He turned away from Shiro and to his men. "Let's go. We've got an important message to send to the palace."

The men filed out of the room, leaving Shiro alone with the two guards. He immediately tried to form an escape plan. He'd have to wait until these guards left, or switched shifts, but there had to be a way out of here.

An hour later, someone new entered the room. He was a smaller member of the gang, face covered by a mask, and holding a tray of what looked like gross, stale food. Shiro glared at him defiantly.

One of the guards whistled at him as he walked by, but the man ignored him, placing the food in front of Shiro. Shiro just looked away. It didn't matter how hungry he got. He wasn't going to eat that.

The man stood up straight, staring down at him with that blank mask obscuring his eyes.

Then, without warning, he suddenly punched the guard who'd whistled at him, taking him right out.

Shiro jumped. The other guard charged the man, but was swiftly taken out in a similar manner. Then the man strode over to Shiro and started undoing his restraints.

"What are you doing?" Shiro whispered, still in shock.

"Getting you out of here," the man replied, his voice oddly familiar. "Stay quiet and follow me."

Shiro hesitated, but figured he had no other choice. He followed the man to the door, and looked around the hallway to see if the coast was clear.

"Sendak is getting ready to send a message to the palace about your kidnapping," the man explained. "Which means almost everyone here should be distracted. Let's go. This way."

The man took off down the dark hallway, and Shiro was close behind. Before long, the man pulled him into a tunnel, and they were soon out in the alleyways. It was already dark.

"Where are we?" Shiro finally asked.

"You're in Marmora. We're going to see the Duke."

Shiro's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything else as he sped up to keep up with the man.

The man led Shiro far away from the criminal base and toward the much more sophisticated building belonging to Duke Kolivan. He went around to the side, beckoning Shiro to follow him through a small door. Shiro obliged.

"Who were those guys?" He finally asked. "What did they want? Were they going to demand a ransom? Is my family in danger?"

The man sighed. "Let's just find Kolivan. He'll explain everything to you.

_Kolivan?_ First name basis? Odd. Who _was_ this guy?

The man finally stopped in a room, full of masked individuals like himself. They all looked to them, tensing when they saw the prince standing among them.

Then, the largest among them, a man without a mask, approached. Shiro recognized him right away.

"Your Highness," Kolivan greeted with a curt bow.

"Duke Kolivan," Shiro gasped. "What's going on?"

"I will explain in a moment. But first, do you mind stepping aside? I need to scold someone."

Shiro blinked, still not sure if this wasn't all a dream, and stepped aside. Kolivan strode over to the man who had saved Shiro, towering over him and staring down sternly.

"Why is he here?" Kolivan asked.

The smaller man tensed. "I freed him from Sendak's den."

"I can see that. That was not part of your mission. You were supposed to be a spy from the inside. Now they'll know you're with us, and we won't be able to keep an eye on them. Did you not consider that?"

The small man sputtered. "Wh-what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just leave him there for them to torture!"

"You're a fool. How many times to you plan to ruin your missions by getting distracted?"

"Hey!" Shiro finally shouted, not able to take this anymore. "I'm right here! Can someone please explain to me what's happening??"

Kolivan sighed, and finally turned away from the small man to face Shiro. "Follow me."

\---

A short while later, Shiro was in a bedroom in Kolivan's home, seated on a comfy bed and drinking tea while listening to him talk.

"So, let me get this straight," Shiro said. "Our kingdom has been under a threat of uprising from this Fire of Purification for years, and they were planning an attack on the night of the ball?"

"That is correct," Kolivan replied. "We had an agent inside the palace who managed to neutralize the threat, and now we've thwarted their kidnapping scheme as well. You're safe under our protection."

"Right, and these _agents_ are actually Marmora's palace staff? And you're the leader of this secret organization that's been protecting the kingdom?"

"Yes."

Shiro nearly threw his hands in the air. "How did I not know about this? Is no one in the royal family aware of any of this?"

"Of course they know," Kolivan responded, only a slight twinge of emotion in his voice. "Your parents know all about it. And you would have been informed as well, as soon as you took the throne."

Shiro leaned back and groaned. He was going to have a headache soon, he could feel it coming.

"We will find someone to take you back home to the royal palace shortly," Kolivan continued. "In the meantime, we'll have to figure out what to do next. It will be hard to predict Sendak's next move now that we no longer have a spy in his ranks." He looked pointedly at the small man, who still hadn't removed his mask. Small man scoffed.

Kolivan turned back to Shiro. "Do you have any other questions?"

Shiro sighed. "No. I-I think I just need a moment to...process all of this."

Kolivan nodded. "Very well. You can get some rest. We will see you soon." He turned to leave, the rest of his men following suit.

Then Shiro remembered something, and he stood up. "Wait, Duke Kolivan?"

They stopped moving. "Yes?" Kolivan replied.

Shiro bit his lip, embarrassed. "I do have one more question, though it's completely unrelated to any of this."

Kolivan didn't move. "Go on."

"See, there was...a woman I met at the ball. Her name was Katherine." He blushed. "She, uh, she told me she was your daughter, and uh, I've been trying to get in contact with her ever since. Do you, uh...know anything about that? Do you even have a daughter?"

Kolivan stared back with the same expression. Around him, the Marmoran staff burst into giggles, while the small man looked like he was trying to shrink into the wall. Shiro frowned, but kept his eyes on Kolivan.

"I have no children," Kolivan responded.

Shiro's heart sank. "Oh. I see..."

"However, I do know the person you're talking about."

Shiro looked up again with wide eyes. "You do?"

"Kolivan, no..." the small man pleaded suddenly, to which his comrades laughed and pushed him forward. Now Shiro was just confused.

"Keith, remove your mask, please."

"But--"

"That's an order."

The small man sighed, and as Shiro watched in bewilderment, he slowly took off his hood, then the mask covering his face. A mess of soft black hair tumbled out, as well as a pretty pale face and two familiar eyes that were either purple or blue or gray...

Shiro closed his eyes with a whisper. "Oh my God..."

"Prince Shiro, this is Keith," Kolivan informed him, the slightest hint of a smile on his face. "Or _Katherine,_ as you know him. We apologize for the deception. He's simply a master of disguise."

There were more snickers, and Keith turned red in the face and looked away from Shiro guiltily.

Shiro ran a hand down his face as he looked at Kath--er, _Keith._ This day just kept getting weirder and weirder. "You are a man."

"Y-yes," Keith replied. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you. It was just...for the mission."

Shiro couldn't respond. His brain had officially broken.

"You two will be able to catch up later," Kolivan cut in. "Right now, the Prince needs his rest, and we need to plan. Come along, Keith."

Keith cast one more guilty glance at Shiro before slinking away after his leader.

Shiro stood frozen in his place for a moment, then he collapsed on the bed. His mind felt like static. So much was happening. He was kidnapped by rebels. Marmora was actually full of secret agents. And Katherine, the girl he'd fallen head over heels for, was actually a man named Keith. And he _still_ had the most beautiful eyes Shiro had ever seen.

This was too weird. He needed to sleep. Maybe he would wake up and realize that this really _was_ all just a dream.


	3. Chapter 3

Shiro awoke to the bleak realization that everything that had happened last night was completely real. He sighed, got himself ready, then headed out of the bedroom.

It was late in the morning, and Marmora staff-- _agents_ \--were bustling around, nodding politely at him as they passed. Shiro wandered around until he found Kolivan, looking over plans with some other men.

"Good morning, Your Highness," Kolivan greeted, stern as ever. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," Shiro replied. "So, what's the plan now?"

"We're working on it. And we're also getting a carriage ready to take you home. Though depending on how busy our agents are, that can happen either at the end of the day or tomorrow. I hope that's not a problem."

"No, it's fine. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not at the moment. You're free to do what you want around the premises."

Shiro nodded, leaving Kolivan to his business. 

After a few minutes of exploring the estate, Shiro found himself in a large courtyard, where two people were sparring against each other. They were using unconventional-looking blades, and one of the men was much smaller than the other, but he made up for it with speed. It didn't take long for Shiro to recognize the smaller one as Keith. 

Keith. Not Katherine. Keith. It was still so weird. He'd been pining over Katherine this whole time, and now...now he didn't know _what_ to feel. But despite knowing the truth now, Shiro still felt the urge to talk to him, if only just to clear the air. 

Keith and his opponent finished their match, and Shiro walked down to meet him without another thought. The taller agent saw him coming and nudged Keith teasingly, to which Keith gave him a glare. 

Shiro stopped in front of Keith and smiled politely. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Keith replied quietly. "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"I am. I don't think I ever really thanked you for saving me yesterday. Who knows where I would be right now if it wasn't for you."

"Oh," Keith looked down with a sheepish shrug. "It was nothing, really. Besides, Kolivan already chewed me out over it."

"Forget Kolivan. I'm the prince and I'm saying it's a good thing. Thank you, Keith."

Keith smiled at him, and Shiro's traitorous heart skipped a beat. "You're welcome." 

There was a pause, and Keith shuffled in his place again. "Oh, and uh...I'm sorry about the ball. I never intended for things to go that far, I--I wasn't trying to lead you on or anything..."

Shiro faltered slightly, but forced himself to keep smiling. "Ah, I'm just--I admit I'm a little confused about that. Do you not have any female agents who could have done the job instead?"

Keith scoffed. "We do, but all of them are either too old to pass as a bachelorette for the Prince, or they just _happened_ to be busy with something else that night."

The taller opponent finally looked up from where he was drying himself off and grinned. "Plus we all had a bet going over whether he could pull it off."

Keith glared at him. "Regris, shut up or I _will_ cut your throat." 

Regris laughed and finally went somewhere else. 

Keith turned back to Shiro. "For the record, I got a cut of that money. They owed me big time."

Shiro chuckled. "Looks like you guys have some nice camaraderie going on here. But anyway, all is forgiven. We can start over now, I hope."

Keith nodded. 

"You mind if I take a look at your blade?" 

Keith held it up proudly and handed it to Shiro. "Every agent has one. But this one was a gift from my mother."

"It's beautiful." Shiro gently turned it over in his hands, noting its deep violet-blue color that reminded him of Keith's eyes.

"We've got more in the armory if you want to take a look," Keith offered. "I mean, uh--if you're the type to nerd out about swords."

Shiro smiled. "I'd love to see them. And you could give me a tour of the rest of the place too, if that's okay. I've always heard Marmora was beautiful, but I never got a chance to see it."

Keith nodded happily. "Follow me."

Shiro giddily obeyed.

\---

Shiro hadn't even noticed how many hours had passed until the stars started to appear in the early evening sky. Kolivan told him they would leave first thing tomorrow morning, but Shiro didn't mind the delay. He was happy to spend more time with Keith. Time flew by so quickly when they were together. 

Later that evening, Keith led Shiro out to a field a little ways off from the base. "I'm glad you got to stick around for this. Look."

Shiro pulled his eyes away from Keith to look up at the sky. The stars sprawled out in front of him, coloring the sky with swirls of color. 

"Oh, wow," Shiro gasped. "You weren't kidding about the view out here." 

Keith grinned. "Isn't it so much better then your light-polluted palace?"

"Honestly, yeah," Shiro replied. "Kinda makes me wish I didn't have to go back." 

"You and me both."

Shiro faltered for a moment, but smirked at him. "You like having me here?" 

Keith turned to him, eyes wide for a split second, but he shrugged it off. "Uh, well, I mean--who wouldn't like having a prince around?" He looked back up at the sky and pointed. "Look, a shooting star--make a wish."

Shiro looked at it, but his attention was quickly drawn away by Keith again. The initial shock had faded, and now he was back to remembering how gorgeous Keith had looked under the stars at the ball...and how he still looked gorgeous now.

Keith noticed him looking and frowned. "What?"

Shiro looked at the ground. "Nothing, sorry. Just zoned out thinking about my wish."

Keith smiled. "But you did make one, right? Can't let that opportunity go to waste." 

"Yeah. I wished that my parents will suddenly change their minds and tell me that my chosen suitor doesn't have to be a woman." 

This time, Keith was unable to shrug off the flirtatious comment before Shiro noticed his surprise. Shiro couldn't help but grin at the open-mouthed expression he gave him.

"Wh—you—I—." Keith stuttered, but managed to compose himself with a sheepish laugh. "Ha, y-yeah, that'll be the day. I don't think any shooting star magic will help you with that one. Don't you need to have an heir?"

Shiro winced and looked at the ground. "Yeah..."

He was quiet for a moment before looking at Keith again, the bliss of being with him undercut by a painful longing. Keith was looking upward again, apparently unaware of what he was doing to Shiro by merely existing.

After awhile, Keith stretched out his arms. "Well, I hate to cut this short, but I'm gonna have to head back. Already took enough time off today."

Shiro nodded. "Yeah, it is getting late. Thanks for spending the day with me, Keith. I really appreciate it."

Keith smiled at him. "No problem. Come on, let's get you back. You'll probably need some rest before leaving tomorrow."

They headed back to the base, and Keith walked Shiro to his room. "Good night, Your Highness."

Shiro hesitated a moment, watching as Keith turned to leave. Then he called out after him. "Wait...uh, are you coming with me tomorrow?"

Keith stopped and turned around, surprised. "Huh? Why?"

"I-it's just..." Shiro shifted on his feet, fumbling for words. "If there's going to be an attack, some of your agents will have to come with my to the capital, wouldn't they? To meet with my parents and form a plan? I...was hoping you'd be one of them. You do have some insider knowledge, after all."

Keith was grinning again. "You make a good point. I'll be there."

"Really?"

"Yeah, someone's gotta be there in case you need to be rescued again."

Shiro laughed. "Well, thanks. Good night, Keith."

Keith walked away at last. Shiro closed the door and flopped down onto his bed, sighing blissfully at the ceiling. Oh, he was in _so_ much trouble.

\---

As promised, Shiro and several agents headed out first thing the next morning. Keith was seated next to Shiro in the carriage, much to the delight of both, though they both had to focus on Kolivan sitting in front of them. 

"Sendak knows that his plan was thwarted, but he also sent out a message to the palace, so who knows what he's planning to do now," Kolivan explained. "For all we know, he could attack us on our way back just to get the Prince back in his hands."

Shiro and Keith bristled. "So they could jump us right now?" Keith asked.

"We did send word to the palace that we were bringing you back, so it's possible he got wind of it somehow. But don't worry, you've got plenty of agents here to protect you, Your Highness. If anything happens, we'll capture Sendak first and end this right here."

Shiro nodded slowly. "Okay." 

Keith looked out at the small but fierce-looking group of agents walking alongside the carriage. "In that case, I think I'll go out there and keep lookout with them." He got up and started to hop outside the door, and Shiro pouted. 

"You're leaving me with this guy?"

Keith smiled. "Hey, I promised to protect you, didn't I? Don't worry, you can still wave to me from in there." With that, he hopped out of the carriage and joined the group of agents outside.

Shiro chuckled fondly as he watched him go. Then he remembered that he wasn't alone. He turned back to Kolivan, face heating up slightly with embarrassment. "Uh, that was a...that was a joke. I have nothing against being in here with you, Duke Kolivan."

Kolivan's expression remained unchanged. "You two make quite the pair," he said monotonously. Then he went back to the papers in front of him. "Now then, assuming we don't get jumped, here's the plan for when we get there."

Shiro sunk into his seat, so embarrassed he wished he could disappear.  
—-  
After a miraculously uneventful trip home, Shiro was embraced by his family. They had but a few minutes to get through their emotional sentiments and relief that Shiro was okay, before Kolivan cut in an explained that they still had work to do. The reunion was already undercut by a strategy meeting. 

"It seems that for whatever reason, Prince Takashi is his main target," Kolivan was saying. "They had no problem abducting him from right here in his bedroom, so obviously we're going to have to beef up security. For all of you."

Ryou, standing next to Shiro, gulped. 

Shiro's father managed to keep a straight face and nodded. "Of course. But what do you think will happen now? Since his kidnapping scheme was thwarted, do you think he will try something else? Or go back into hiding?"

"There's no way to know for sure," Kolivan replied. "Which is why we need to be prepared for anything." 

The strategy talks went on until everyone decided to take a rest. Kolivan approached Shiro and Ryou, with Keith and a couple of agents in tow. 

"I'm sorry to say this, but you both are going to need a guard with you," Kolivan told them. "At all times. Until the situation is neutralized."

Ryou frowned. "Even...in the bathroom?"

Kolivan was unfazed. "Yes." He nodded at the agents behind him. One of them, who Shiro recalled was named Vrek, stood dutifully next to Ryou. Keith started to step forward as well, but Kolivan held him back. 

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm...the Prince's bodyguard?"

"I don't think so. Ulaz will be guarding Prince Takashi. You'll be with me." 

Keith's face fell, and Shiro stepped up.

"Duke Kolivan--I don't mean to offend, but, I would be more comfortable with Keith." 

Kolivan paused for a long moment, then sighed. "Fine. But Keith--" he leaned down to look him in the eye. "Don't get distracted."

With that, Kolivan and the rest of his men sauntered off. The two princes were left with their guards, and Shiro and Keith didn't waste a second to grin at each other once the others left. 

Ryou eyed Vrek warily. "So is there, uh, like some ground rules, or a personal bubble or something...?"

"We won't get into your personal space unless absolutely necessary," Vrek replied. "Just pretend we're not here." 

Shiro pouted at Keith, who already had his mask up. "Well I didn't ask for you to shadow me just so I could ignore you." 

Keith turned to him. "Please, Your Highness. I know we're friends, but I still have a job to do." 

Shiro smirked. "Well, I hope I'm not too distracting, then." 

Keith's expression was invisible behind that mask, but Shiro hoped he'd caught the hint. Meanwhile, Ryou leaned over and looked at Keith curiously. 

"So, uh, you going to introduce me, or...?"

"Right," said Shiro. "Ryou, this is Keith, he saved me after I was kidnapped. Keith, this is my younger brother. You can call him Dumbass."

"Uh, _Prince_ Dumbass, that you very much." 

Once the introductions were out of the way, the princes started heading off to find somewhere to rest, guards right behind them. Ryou leaned closer to Shiro and started whispering so the agents couldn't hear. 

"So, uh, forgive me if I'm wrong, dear brother, but some of your comments toward that little man seemed a little...flirtatious."

Shiro only faltered slightly. "I don't know what you mean."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Come on, Takashi. I know you. I've only ever seen you smile like that when you talk about your girl, Katherine."

Shiro bit his lip. "Oh. Yeah. About that. The truth is, Keith actually _is_ Katherine."

Ryou's jaw dropped, and he nearly tripped over himself as he looked from Keith back to Shiro in shock. "H-how?"

"Long story, but he was in disguise for a mission. This is who he really is." He grinned sheepishly at Ryou. "There you go, now you know why we're so close."

Ryou frowned.

"It's funny, after all this time looking for him, he's the one who ended up finding me. Go figure."

Ryou cleared his throat and lowered his voice even more. "Uh, Takashi, I know you already know this, but I think you need a reminder: You can't marry a man. A man can't give you an heir."

Shiro cringed. "Yes, I know that, Ryou." He paused for a moment, thinking. "But...what if I gave you the throne instead?"

Ryou's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Huh?"

Shiro shrugged, smiling to himself. "I mean, it's silly, but if I'm not the crown prince, I would be able to marry whoever I want, and, hey, didn't you always say you wanted to be the king instead?"

"Y-you'd give up your birthright for some guy?"

Shiro hesitated, and shrugged again.  "Hey, I didn't say I _will_ , I was just...just saying."

Their conversation slowed to a stop, both of them lost in their own thoughts.

\---

After everything was in place and night had fallen, Shiro finally returned to his own room. He was exhausted, and all he wanted to do was sleep for the next three days. Last time he's been here, he was abducted in the middle of the night, but now he wasn't worried. Guards and Marmoran agents were stationed all around the palace, and Keith was here, standing dutifully by the door.

Shiro looked over to Keith and raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to get any sleep?"

Keith turned to him. "In a bit. I'm going to switch off with Ulaz for the night shift."

Shiro smiled, laying down. "Ok, good. I wouldn't be happy if you had to stand there all night while I slept."

"Wouldn't be a very effective agent if I'm sleep-deprived."

"True." He stared at Keith for a moment from his bed, watching as he stared straight ahead, no expression visible from behind the mask. Shiro recalled his earlier conversation with Ryou and sighed. There had to be some way to work this out. But before he could think about it too much, exhaustion started to catch up, and Shiro drifted off. 

Somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, Shiro thought he felt Keith walk closer, feeling his warmth as he pulled the covers over him and whispered. "Good night, Your Highness." There may have been a grazing of lips on his cheek, but as far as Shiro knew, the whole thing was a dream.


	4. Chapter 4

Nothing groundbreaking had happened by morning. Shiro had woken up to find a different guard in his room--Ulaz--and while he seemed nice, Shiro was predictably waiting to be handed off to his favorite Marmora agent.

Keith appeared about an hour after Shiro had awoken, and Shiro wasted no time in whisking him away somewhere else. After breakfast, Shiro nonchalantly led Keith out to that balcony by the ballroom, and delighted in the way Keith perked up in recognition.

"You remember this place, don't you?" Shiro asked, leaning against the railing.

Keith nodded slowly. "Yes. It's where you took me when we first met--the night of the ball."

Shiro nodded. "A little less secluded now that all these agents are hanging around, but I think they can ignore us for the time being." He turned to Keith with a smile. "You can take that mask off now. It's just us here."

Keith hesitated. "I...I'm supposed to be protecting you. I can't let my guard down."

Shiro shrugged. "Suit yourself. But I don't really see anything to be protected from right now." Shiro turned away from, it he could still hear Keith shuffling behind him, before he walked over to stand next to him, mask down.

Shiro's breath caught in his throats for a moment. He would think he'd be used to seeing Keith's face by now, but it still had that effect on him.

Keith gave him the smallest playful smirk. "Ok, you got me out of my mask. What do you want now?"

Shiro could think of a million things he _wanted,_ but he just shrugged again. "Dunno. Everyone's just waiting around for an attack that may not even happen, we're free to do whatever we want."

"And I'm sure you just want to stand around here and enjoy the view."

"What's more relaxing than a nice view? Especially when you're with good company."

Keith feigned surprise and looked around. "Who do you mean? There's no one else here."

Shiro laughed. "Good point. Guess it must be you."

Keith looked down and chuckled bashfully. They stood there in comfortable silence, and for a moment Shiro contemplated taking his hand. It was stupid. It was so stupid, this situation he'd gotten himself in, but something about Keith wanted to make him live dangerously, to relish every moment they had together until he was inevitably married off to someone else.

The reminder made his heart ache again. He took a breath to steady himself. Too much to worry about right now. He looked back at Keith, who was frowning thoughtfully at the horizon. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Keith blinked out of his trance and started tracing lines on the railing with his finger. "Nothing. Just...wondering how long this will last."

"What?"

"You know, the waiting in anticipation for Sendak to show up. It could happen anytime. We don't know what he's thinking."

"Yeah," Shiro replied softly. "But, I'm not worried. We've got plenty of people to fend him off with."

"True." Keith looked at him sheepishly. "Sorry to crowd you though. We'll probably be out of your hair in a few days."

"Hey, you're not crowding me. Like I said, I like your company."

"Yeah...a little too much, it seems."

Shiro laughed awkwardly. "Well--okay, yeah, you got me there. I'm trying to milk this as much as I can." He paused. "Does...that bother you?"

"No," Keith replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, well--ok, I guess it's pretty obvious that I'm fond of you."

Shiro beamed.

"But...you know this won't last, right?"

Hearing it from Keith's mouth made it sting even more, and Shiro had to look down. "Yeah. I know." He sighed and slumped forward on the railing. "I guess it was too good to be true. The perfect person shows up and I'm not even allowed to be with them."

Keith frowned.

"I really didn't think anything good would happen at a ball where I'm supposed to choose a wife from a preselected bunch, but...then you appeared, and God, I really wanted it to be you." He turned longingly to Keith. "I still do."

Keith gulped. "I'm sorry I couldn't be the person you thought I was."

"Don't be," Shiro reached over and took his hand, smiling softly. "I'm still glad I met you."

Keith blushed and looked down. "I...I am, too. But we...we shouldn't be..."

Shiro ran his thumb over Keith's knuckles thoughtfully. "Keith, I don't want to make you upset. If you want, we can just stop this and forget all about it."

"No, I--that's not the point. I just don't want either of us to get hurt. We'll only be forced apart eventually."

Shiro moved closer, reaching out with his other hand to to Keith's face toward him, noticing his conflicted expression. Shiro spoke quietly. "Then, if it's okay, I want to make the most of the time we have."

He pulled Keith closer, slowly. Keith's breath caught in his throat for a moment. "I-I..." his eyes flutter closed as he finally gave into the pull.

Shiro kissed him ever so gently, his heart fluttering as Keith kissed back. It wasn't exactly the same as the first time, but to Shiro, it was perfect.

They broke the kiss but barely moved apart. Keith seemed dazed for a moment, but then he smiled widely. "What is it about this balcony that makes you so kiss-happy?"

Shiro chuckled softly. "Oh, I don't think it's the balcony."

Keith laughed and gladly let Shiro pull him back in for more. This time, Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro and held him tight, and Shiro did the same for him. Neither of them held back. The world around them seemed to fade away. It was just the two of them.

Then an explosion rocked the building and shook them out of it.

Keith reeled back, taking a moment to regain alertness before looking down at the courtyard to see what happened. He cursed under his breath.

"They're here," he said urgently to a shell-shocked Shiro. "We need to get you somewhere safe, now."

Shiro managed to snap out of his trance as Keith pulled him along. "Th-the cellar," he stammered. "That's where we need to go."

Keith nodded. He put his mask back up and drew out his sword before slowly opening the door. Marmora agents were speeding toward the scene of the attack, and shouts rang through the halls. Keith led Shiro through a narrow corner of the hall, trying to get to their destination.

When they reached the stairs, Keith stopped. Down below, fighters of both sides were clashing it out, turning the main hall of the palace into a battlefield. Keith backed up, pushing against Shiro's body.

"The path is blocked," he said. "We'll have to find somewhere else to hide you."

The two men turned around frantically trying to find a hiding place. They threw open a door that would lead them down to a boiler room and ran in, only to stop in their tracks when they found someone waiting for them.

"Well, well," Sendak smirked. "We meet again, Your Highness."

"How did you get in here?!" Shiro demanded.

"That doesn't matter," Sendak sneered. "What's important is that you will now surrender to me. I already have the rest of your family. Give yourself up and I might go easier on them."

Keith sped forward so quickly that Shiro almost didn't see him until his sword collided with Sendak's huge metal arm. They immediately started to parry back and forth. Shiro looked around the room for something he could use as a weapon, but instead, Keith grabbed his arm and flung him toward the inner door.

"Get in the boiler room!" Keith shouted, barely holding Sendak off.

"What about you?!"

"Just _go!"_

Sendak yelled out angrily, trying to push past Keith and grab Shiro...but another agent suddenly appeared to knock Sendak off course.

"Kolivan!" Keith cried in relief. "You found us."

Kolivan stood calmly as if he hadn't just attacked the leader of a coup. "Just passing through the neighborhood, thought I'd drop by."

Sendak stood up again with a growl, and Keith and Kolivan got to their stances. They started to fight again, the two of them just managing to match Sendak's strength.

At some point, Keith finally pulled Shiro off the ground and pushed him into the boiler room. Before Shiro could protest, Keith slammed the door and locked it, leaving Shiro trapped inside.

"Keith!" Shiro cried, banging helplessly on the door. _"Keith!"_

His heart pounded in his ears, and with that and the loud boiler nearby, he could barely make out the fighting going on just outside. He couldn't just sit there while Keith and Kolivan risked their lives for him. Shiro jiggled the lock, then tried to break through with his body, but to no avail.

Eventually, the lock clicked open from the outside. Shiro took a step back, expecting Sendak to come barging in, and his mind supplying all kinds of horrible scenarios that might have happened to Keith--

But instead, Kolivan stared down at him, grim expression the same as always. He looked to be alone. Shiro's heart leapt into his throat.

"We've captured Sendak," Kolivan informed him.

Shiro stumbled out of the boiler room, looking frantically around the room. "Where's Keith??"

"I'm here," a weak voice replied. Shiro turned to see Keith barely standing on the other side of the room, clutching his side.

Shiro rushed over. "You're hurt."

Keith grinned wryly. "Just a flesh wound. I'll be fine."

"But why did you do that?? I couldn't helped you!"

Keith shook his head, his smile softening. "It's better that I get hurt than you."

Shiro felt himself choke up. He wanted to scold Keith, tell him how afraid he was, to hold him as tight as he could.

But Kolivan cleared his throat and interrupted their moment. "If I may," he began, a hint of weariness in his voice. "We should probably gather up these prisoners and check in with the other agents."

Shiro nodded. He flung one of Keith's arms around his shoulder, careful not to aggravate the wound, and followed Kolivan out.

\---

Following Sendak's defeat, the Marmoran agents spent a week taking care of their wounded and debriefing on the events. Shiro's family was fine, thank goodness, and overall it seemed like everything had gone as well as it could have.

Soon, however, it was time for the Marmorans to withdraw from the palace. Which meant saying goodbye to Keith.

Shiro was watching forlornly as Keith gathered his belongings, checking in with Kolivan a couple times in the process. After a moment, Keith turned to Shiro, the pain visible in his eyes.

Shiro gulped. "Are you sure you can't stay?"

Keith shook his head sadly. "I can't. I have to go home."

Shiro closed his eyes and tried to contain his emotions, but couldn't stop himself from pulling Keith into his arms and holding him close.

"Thank you, Keith," he whispered. "And not just for saving my life, twice. You've made me happier than I think I've ever been, even if our time together was short."

Keith hugged him back, burying his face into Shiro's shoulder with a deep breath. "I-I was happy too," he replied. "But...this is how it has to be."

Shiro nodded. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Your Highness."

Despite himself, Shiro smiled. "Please, I think we're past that by now. Call me Shiro."

"...Shiro," Keith whispered, and Shiro's stomach did flips at the sound. "Thank you, Shiro."

Keith pulled away from him, and after one more agonizing moment, turned and followed his fellow agents out of the castle.

\---

Ryou found Shiro sulking in his room a few days later, and he couldn't really say he was surprised. He leaned against the doorframe with a sigh, watching as his brother layed down and stared into nothingness.

"So, are you going to pine forever over Keith like you did with Katherine?"

Shiro responded with nothing but a sigh.

Ryou looked downward, trying to carefully choose his next words. "He...really meant something to you, didn't he?"

"I don't know," Shiro finally replied. "I know we didn't know each other for very long, but...it always just felt so _right._ Like he was meant to be here with me."

Ryou shook his head. "Look, I...I don't really know what to do in this situation but...I'm here if you need me. It's going to be okay."

Shiro finally looked at him, staring for a long moment as if assessing him. Then he just turned back to the ceiling and nodded.

Nothing changed much, though. After about another long time of sulking and wallowing, Ryou figured there was really only one way for Shiro to be happy.

And so, another non-surprise awaited Ryou when he entered his room one night to find his brother's crown on his bedside table, along with a note in Shiro's handwriting that read, _"Congrats! It's yours now! See you again soon!"_

Ryou ran a hand down his face but didn't hesitate to pick up the crown and carefully place it on his own head. "Idiot actually did it," he muttered to himself. He turned to the mirror in his room, grinning at the reflection he saw. "Well...as long as he's happy, right?"

\---

The crisp forest air rustled at Shiro's hair as he stared down at the creek, trying to concentrate. He had a sharp stick in his hand, waiting for the right moment to strike. He could see a fish coming toward him, he just had to time it right...

_Splash._ The fish slipped right past his stick and he came up empty handed. "Dammit."

Behind him, he could hear Keith's unfairly cute laugh ringing out loud and clear. Shiro turned to glare at him. Keith was sitting on a flat rock, dressed down in comfortable outdoor wear, and smirking at him while munching one of the several fish on his stick.

"Stop laughing at me," Shiro pouted. "This is tough, okay?"

"Aww, poor little prince can't catch a fish?"

"Remind me why we're doing this when the Duke's estate is right there where we can go have lunch."

"Because you wanted to impress me?" Keith leaned back as Shiro scowled. "It's a survival skill," he amended. "In case the base gets attacked and we have to scatter. I wouldn't want you to starve to death."

"I'm starving right now," Shiro whined. "Can't you share some of the fish you caught?"

Keith took another bite. "Catch your own fish and eat them."

Shiro tossed his stick aside and sat down next to Keith, pouting at him in a way that he probably thought was irresistible. "Please? I'm so hungry, Keith..."

Keith raised an eyebrow, staring at Shiro's puppy dog eyes. Keith sighed, tore a piece of fish off his stick, and held it out to Shiro. Shiro beamed, moving to take it...until Keith pulled it back and put it in his own mouth.

Shiro looked shocked for a moment, and Keith had to laugh. While he was distracted, Shiro jumped forward and grabbed him, knocking him off the rock. "Jerk!"

"Wha--hey, watch it, Shiro! This thing is sharp!"

"Give me a fish!"

"No!"

They wrestled on the ground for a moment longer, but ultimately Shiro's size got the better of Keith, and the latter groaned. "Fine! Here, take a fish, you overgrown baby."

Keith stuffed a piece of fish in Shiro's mouth, and Shiro laughed triumphantly. Shiro got off of him, but stayed close as Keith sat up, grumbling.

"Thank you, Keith," Shiro sing-songed, scooting closer. "Love you."

Keith froze, feeling his face turn red. He looked at the ground.

Shiro tilted his head, still grinning. "What? Not ready to say it back?"

Keith shoved the stick full of fish at him. "Just take all of them."

Shiro laughed nuzzling closer and kissing him on the cheek. "It's okay. No worries. I've waited this long."


End file.
